How To Eat A Prickly Cactus Pear is a fruit that grows in Mexico and North America. Many cultures love to eat it. It has lots of gochids or thorns. Pick them with caution. Here's a way I harvest them.
I'm from northern Argentina. And these fruits we call 'tunas' are traditional. You can see the cactus plant in any garden... and people in the country area recollect tunas and eat it as a dessert. You can find this in red or green, just like kiwi.
Since you are in the kitchen ... my suggestion is to collect them in a bowl first ( so you are not needing to harm the cactus with torch). Then use the tongs to put each one over your gas stove or grill to remove the "thorns" . Cheese cloth is used to easily remove the seeds... the middle is the best part! Don't waste ;) :)
As a son of two hispanic parents that come from mexico, I think the most effective way that we skin the prickly pear is by cutting off of the long sides unill the fruit is exposed, then you cut the pear from just the skin just cutting the skin and not the fruit. From there you just pull up the skin. Its about 100 times easier and less messy.
Why burn the thorns when you already have tongs to remove them, to my way of picking cactus pears in Mexico we do it by hand, then to peel it we do this so easily without damaging the cactus pear inside, you cut the top part about 4 millimeters down and the bottom part also then you make a slice on either side stick your fingers in and pull the skin off, the taste is amazing more like watermelon for those who have never had one but they also have lots of seeds that are edible.
There are three types of Tunas red green and yellow orange they all taste delicious, Tunas are thirst quenching, and let's not forget also the famous Cactus salad to it is really good . And super healthy Tunas are not expensive I usually get them here in my area for $1 for 4. not bad
dude! we are surrounded with this fruit, you just cut them off with gloves then put them in a bucket of water for a while and all spikes are gone, then cut the edges and slice bit the middle and peel the skin of, refrigerate and eat as is, best fruit.
Ervin Ruhe Jr oh man, this fruit is the best as well as watermelon, I never knew what is was called didn't bother, but eating it was so much perfection hehe, nice to see you doing a teaching of it, but Mexican style you go for it on matter how painful it gets to your thumbs. Best to peal it is by holding top and bottom of fruit with your thumb, second use a knife and slice it from top to bottom but not all the way through (3cm deep)and go around it same process. after that cut 2cm of the top an d start peeling, you will get a nice juicy fruit from the inside and won't struggle about the thorns. BTW....you can eat pretty much everything inside even the seed, ate it a thousand times and so far good.
Jose Sanchez True. At 4:04 when he bites into it, you can see a flap of skin still hanging on the fruit because the actual skin is thicker than what he removed with the knife. Lol!
Thanks Erwin We have heaps of these in Perth Australia which are very popular with the Italian community and myself included. I prepare them like a kiwi fruit or boiled egg, just cut the top of and scoop out pulp with a teaspoon. I like the tongs and propane idea; oh and the duct tape for the prickles, glocids or whatever.
prickly pear cactus fruits are also known as cactus figs, Indian figs or tuna in Spanish. i am a Mexican who speaks Spanish, so i call them tunas. never have had them red, though, just green. really refreshing and tasty. i like them a lot more than the tuna fish, lol.
It actually depends on if you get a ripe one or not. I used to eat these all the time when I was kid because my grandpa grew them and I remember the red or purple looking ones to be the best tasting. If you put them in the fridge they taste even better! Closest thing that taste like it I can think of is watermelon. A bit sweeter but not as sweet as strawberries.
In our town we peel and let them sink in a tequila jug for a week or longer then 🍷 drink cold from the freezer the drink will not freeze 🥶 but will be cold and good hope anyone tries one day cheers 🥂
No, no, no....That is a complicated way of opening the prickly pear! The Indigenous people of the South American Peruvian Andes harvest these pears every year for centuries from the catus and they do not open the pears as shown in this video. The easiest and quickest way is just slice about 1/4 inch off each end, then score down the middle of the pear about about 1/4 inch deep, more or less...then separate the thick outer skin from the fruit with your fingers, as if you were opening a package...and bite and chew into the sweetness of this awesome fruit...eat seeds and all!
well at least he tried why don't you shut the hell up and you make a video on how to do it .and see how many people say your doing it wrong everybody has there own damn way if doing it
I love these, we don't have them in NY but I can find them at farmers markets in the summer - I first tried these in the middle east and was amazed how lovely they taste - there, the street vendors sell them and they clean the prickles off before giving it to you, also will peel for you if you want. I actually have eaten them with the peel and its not as sweet but not bad. The toughest part is the seeds inside, there are a lot and too hard to chew, but you can spit them out.
I once saw a man from Guatemala take the pear & just put it on the ground & then take a hand full of tall grass (holding it like an old fashion type broom) & kind of aggressively broom/smack it around on the grass/dirt, & after about 20 seconds, it had no glochids that I could find in it at all. I've help my Suegro burn off the thorns with a large pear burner once in Mexico, so his cows could eat them. thanks for the video
Mmmm, I love tunas. The way I cut them is slice the opposing ends off, then cut length wise and peel off. I always eat them just like that. They are so good. I just hate how they are small and full of seeds. I'm from San Luis Potosi. The land of tunas. (cactus pear)
He's correct about the edible leaves (actually called pads) but you can actually eat them any time of year if you're hungry enough. As far as spring's new tender pads, you don't have to wait until they're 5-6 inches long. You can pick them at one inch. The young, tender ones don't yet have thorns or glochids if you gather them at the right time. You can cut pads into slivers and stir fry like beans or other veggies. They are slimy like okra but are good.
we have them here in australia. actually they were a pest that took a LOT of getting rid of up in queensland. thousands of acres was reclaimed by getting rid of them. gave some people a job for decades.
myastroflight well they spent years digging it out in queensland but we have a bit here in victoria and no-one cares. strangely enough, regardless of the cold cacti grow alright here. I have heaps of "century plants" (like giant aloe vera. and if you properly cultivated it I am sure they wouldn't mind. ask the DPI (department of primary industries) www.dpi.gov.au in australia (email them) and they will tell you where it is allowed. might be a shire by shire thing coz I have african boxthorn which isn't an issue in this shire but REALLY is in some other shires. I'm killing it regardless in case they change their mind in my shire.
Link Knight Well, in Texas, where this is a native plant, it grows even when the temperatures dip well below freezing and they're covered with snow. I don't think I've ever seen anything that could kill a prickly pear beyond pulling it up and burning it. There might be SOME places where it really is too cold for them, of course, but this cactus really is a hardy plant.
***** actually I got a bunch of agave americana. had to pull some out to put a new sheep fence in. huge stuff but not too prickly though. apparently not many edible parts until the flower stalk comes up (and then the thing dies naturally).
@@wordforger I live in the Texas panhandle and have several all over my yard. Years ago my aunt who has now passed on used to make prickly pear jelly. It was so GOOD!!!
Havent had the red or purples ones in a while stuck with the orange ones down here but hey, whenever i can get my hands on these babies thats a good day.
Except he's kind of doing it wrong. He waaaay over torched them. Only takes like 3 or 4 seconds of heat to burn the glochids(thorns). Also, the thorns will naturally fall off on their own if the prickly pear is fully ripe and then you can safely pick them by hand. If you notice, the one he picked was so unripe that the roots were still left on the cactus pad. That shouldn't happen. Also, the variety he picked has a thick jelly skin that he didn't remove all the way. Lastly, avoid the ultra dark purple opuntia species variety, (it has thin skin without the jelly layer) bc eating too many of them can give you chills and a fever and each person reacts differently so you never know how many is too many for any given individual- usually no more than 2 or 3 is the safe route but some people are unaffected by 10. They are really good though so it might be worth the risk lol
This guy has no clue what he's doing . That's not how you do it . What a fail Cut the top and the bottom then slice horizontal line then roll, with gloves on make sure to wash them afterwards, cool and enjoy!! From the Mediterranean
This is a north american fruit. Native Americans and European settlers have been preparing this fruit in this way long before your country started growing this fruit, obviously with bonfires instead of torches. lol, you think you are the authority on optunias.
MrLizardisle They are only native to North America. They were spread to other countries through European colonialism like the other new world foods like sunflowers, pumpkins, blueberries, and others. I don't know about all its native range but where I go in in Guanajuato Mexico they are still cultivated to take to local markets. They will have several different varieties as well.
There is a Mexican variety of prickly pear that grows from Baja California to Durango, and maybe even further, but I used to have them as a child on roadtrips with my family. You can find vendors along the way selling them in stands on street corners, and they give them to you in chilled little ziplock bags, peeled and ready to eat. The taste is reminicent of grapes and kiwis, with a mushier texture than that of a kiwi. Quite a refreshing, slightly tart and sweet taste for Summer!
I'm sorry but you dont know how to peel it. In Malta we peel it this way. Cut the head and the end of the prickly pear, slit it length wise .....trust your forefingers in the slit....and pull the peel off while pushing the fruit up with the other fingers.
Gemmydude aaaa como estas pendejo, México is América, USA es Norteamérica y de la frontera sur de México como es Guatemala Honduras El Salvador, Nicaragua chile me pelas etc. Todo hacia el sur es Suramerica
As you can see many people comment about how I used the torch. I only did this for video interaction. It was easy, but usually I just use a knife to cut the thorns off then slice and eat. Read some of the comments about how others use them. I focus more on exercise videos and some gardening videos. Thanks for subbing. Also check out. MomFitnessWorkouts[dot]com & PilatesYogaClass[dot]com/live for live recorded classes. Hope to see you there.
Jorge G. You're right? He is FUCKED UP! What an idiot! I couldn't believe my eyes to see this fuck head with the torch and other useless tools just to pick this fruit! Are you kidding me? He should travel to any middle eastern country to get an idea from street venders who have them in cold water before they cut and offer you one in 2 seconds:) they do this for a living. I Still can't believe he had the nerve to offer this as a great discovery to teach the rest of us:)
+Jose Ocampo I only tried doing something different. I was curious how many views and reactions it would get. Didn't think it would be watched and criticized this much. I have better exercise videos.
this delicious fruit also grows in many North African/Mediterranean countries, and it's are very yummy and sweet! The safest and easiest way to pick them up is to simply wear a thick pair of gloves and just remove them from the tree! Then you can just hold the pear from the middle and cut both of its ends with a knife then the remaining part will come off easy! They are best served cold! Its juice is also very good! And healthy! But beware don't eat too many of them or you'll get constipation!:)
I agree with burning them off. But, if you really want to get all of the fruit, put it in a strainer or small-holed colander and smash the fruit through. The seeds will (mostly) stay in the sieve. Then you can dry them on paper for a couple of days, and plant them, immediately or save them, dried, for the next Winter and plant them around the house (I mean outside.) I planted some, last Fall, and they are starting to pop up, now. I actually have two fruits that just bloomed and will be fruit, in my indoor garden. I pick up (dead?) nopales from the road after the mother plant drops them and they do the WEIRDEST things indoors. You should go look at one of my mutant cactus videos. They're weird but pretty.
Ervin Ruhe Jr u could have just sliced the top and bottom off and horizonally the middle and rolled the skin off :) mexican way~ yup mexicans eat it a lot
So there are a few people who are telling him he is preparing the fruit wrong. My guess is your European which is what gives you the need to try and dictate to others for how they prepare their own native foods. This is a fruit native to north america, while it can be prepared in many ways, one of the ways native Americans and later European settlers used is to burn off all the needles, the propane tank is just a more modern version. This is so you can process many fruit quickly, it is a generally accepted practice for preparing optunias in the US as well as Mexico. This is also done to the young leaves which are eaten as nopales.
Not wrong, he can do what he likes, but it's more time consuming and tedious .I've lived in Arizona all my life and I've watched Hispanic neighbors process the pads and fruit. They don't burn them, they use a knife to knock the glochids off the pads. I don't eat the pads but the tunas are delicious. For the tunas I just put them in a colander or basket a few at a time with just a little running water and shake them around it washes almost all the glochids off. Also if you cut the ends of the tunas you can stand them up easily and slice off the skin leaving the edible fruits. Much easier than what he was doing. Some varieties of opuntia have softer seeds that are more edible while others are hard and will break your teeth. Find the better varieties and plant those for fresh eating. Those with hard seeds are good for juicing for making jam or margaritas!
@Ervin Ruhe Jr - Thank you for this AWESOME video-We have A HUGE prickly pear cactus in the front of our mobile home park -NO ONE eats its from it and its FULL of ripe red fruit !! I'll be sure to get down there early this morning with tongs in hand to taste this great looking fruit- Don"t own A torch but I'll figure it out :) BTW - can I freeze the fruit for later use ?
How about saying thanks for making the video, dude? And if you know a better/different way post your own???? Who cares if he gets laughed at in Guatemala or Mexico? This is how he does it and was nice enough to post it for us. Sheesh, learn some manners.
It's not like people want to criticize him just for the pleasure of it. What he is saying makes sense like saying "do not eat the fleshy part of the apple, just the core with the seeds inside" xD here in Sicily we eat them two seasons at year, like the south American, I think we know better than the guy who is throwing away the "inside part with the little seeds" that is the actual flesh of the fruit xD
Hello from Crete, Greece! I've seen my grandpa wearing his gloves just picking them off and then skin them off with a fork and a knife ( wearing gloves the whole proccess). I love the aroma / taste of the fruit!!! (By the way, ours are yellow color!)
guys stop hating he did a really good job and stop acting like in Mexico YOU guys eat it a different and more brave way guys he’s just showing you how u can eat a prickly pear stop haring
Hi From New Mexico! I also pick these with tongs and then rinse them, under a stream/spray of water, then I use tweezers to take out all of the spines out of the prickly pear itself, especially the smaller ones, then I peel the skin with my fingers, the skin comes right off, as of peeling an orange or a grape. Tedious, but worth it! Never tried the blow torch technique, though.
When I was a kid I used to live near a beach where there were lots of cactus plants along the shore and I never knew those red things were edible though I always wondered. 😮. Dang I feel like I missed out on something
The ranchers in Mexico and the U.S. use propane torches to burn the thorns away and use them as Cattle feed OR scrape of the thorns and eat them. Prepared correctly, they are delicious and nutritious.
in mexico we call this tunas, they are fresh, watery and very sweet. they have lots of seeds like a guava but they are eatable (or at least we eat them) get the green ones! those are the best!
it's very sweet and juicy. it has a strong fruity aroma and a taste between pear and peach but it has many seeds which makes it a little annoying. there is no need to torch it use a glass and twist it to cut off and then using a fork to hold cut the edges and slice the skin across and it goes off easily. warning: eating more than eight of those can cause constipation
ahahhah Ohhhhhh.... That was too much fun to watch. Always wondered how they taste Chinatown NYC carries them ... but since I'm always running never had a chance to ask or try.. I will now....thanks for the spiting and informative vid..heheeheh... Blessings.
i have eaten a few of them in the past and i never used the flame torch but only gloves ( and if you do get the prickles in you use hot melt glue or hair wax to remove them works for wood splinters to )
Excellent video Ervin! I wonder whether you know of a method fro removing the thorns in a survival situation when gloves and tongs may not be available? Maybe skewer and hold over a fire? Also wondering whether they get sweeter when roasted. I would tend to think so. Thanks Ervin!
This is a great video!! I didn't even know you could eat those things! This is something that every outdoorsy person should watch. I live in WA, not sure if they're all the way up here by the border though, are they?
Hmmmmm came across this in 2021..... My Mom-in-law......picked them wearing gloves and dropped them into a brown paper bag with some sand in it. Then she rolled the pear around in the sand from outside the bag. Worked well
There is this thing called a prickly pear torch get one if you don't want glochids in your hands,we use them in Texas where we have prickly pears in the produce section at grocery stores.
